


Team Smash's Convoluted as shit Fic

by AnPresonPeepul, Variabels



Category: Final Fantasy VII, Metroid Series, Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Super Mario & Related Fandoms, Super Smash Brothers
Genre: Action, Aura training montage, Everyone is a Pokémon, Explosions, Mall fighting, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, The Void, This'll leave you a bit shell shocked, destruction of property
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-12
Updated: 2020-05-18
Packaged: 2021-02-27 03:34:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 18,509
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22220374
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnPresonPeepul/pseuds/AnPresonPeepul, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Variabels/pseuds/Variabels
Summary: What happens if you throw a bunch of people together and tell them they have to build a tower together with a bunch of mismatched pieces? You get an assortment of loosely connected pieces building up to a barely cohesive building. And that is exactly what this is.
Kudos: 12





	1. Starting Small

**Author's Note:**

> This is the result of a bunch idiots listening to a bigger idiot telling them that we should all bits of our writing together as one incohesive story. For what it's worth, I'm sorry.
> 
> Today's episode of Team Smash's Convoluted as shit Fic was brought to you by: AnPresonPeepul

Coconut Mall was a place that had seen a lot of action. Its shimmering white floors had been host to tire treads plenty of times, and the walls were scarred with shards of red and green more often than not. When it wasn't being used as an actual shopping plaza, the sounds of roaring engines filled the halls, and the orange and blue boost pads glowed in the beams of sunlight pouring in through the skylights like rain streaking down toward the road.

This, though: this was a different kind of action.

Shoppers scattered in all directions, screaming as they scrambled to get away. A disorganized mess, they still managed to clear from the main plaza just in time for another explosion to shake the building.

Colorful boxes tumbled out from a gaping hole in the wall. Through the cascade of blue, green, and red, a blur of red and blue flew through the air. It spun through the air, skidding over the slick floor before slamming into an advert display and falling to tree floor with a thud.

As the screen behind him flickered, Mario pushed himself up. He wiped a small trickle of blood from the corner of his mouth. Slumping back against the display, he lowered his other arm.

"You okay?" he said, and he looked down at the yellow bundle cradled against his chest.

Pichu lifted her gaze. She gave him a small nod. Mario sighed, relieved.

"Don't go throwing yourself in danger, kid. Your daddy wouldn't be happy with me if you got hurt," he said.

Pichu frowned, none too pleased about his words. She nuzzled up against his chest. The tips of her ears brushed his chin, and he had to suppress a laugh. Now wasn't the time for that.

A flash of grey caught his eye. Mario looked up, and in the middle of the plaza was a package, glinting in the afternoon sun.

Pichu squeaked as he gently rolled her off his arm. He slid her behind the advert sign, motioning for her to stay put. He turned around and lunged for the package when something burst out from the wall.

Mario spun on his heel, and three long claws sliced through the air behind him. Barely halting his pace, Mario snatched the package off the ground and turned around.

Ridley loomed over him, snarling. He flared his wings. Mario stood his ground. When that didn't work, Ridley's tail thrust toward the box, the tip gleaming with a dangerous edge.

Mario moved the box out of the way. As Ridley's tail flew over his shoulder, tearing a gash into the denim strap over it, Mario slid the box between his legs. It skidded over the floor, before coming into a stop in front of Pichu.

Ridley tried to lunge for the box again. As the tail whipped past him, Mario grabbed it and yanked it away. The lizard screeched, and as he slammed into the ground, Mario met Pichu's gaze.

"Go!" he said.

Sharp claws wrapped around his leg. Mario only had time to curse before his vision flipped over. His hat flew off his head, and he found himself staring into two hazy yellow eyes.

Mario jerked his head back. Ridley's jaws snapped shut inches from his face. When he realized that Mario's head was still attached to his body, Ridley peeled back his lips, flashing his teeth. Flames began to flicker out from behind. Mario braced himself for the heat.

A plume of smoke washed over his face. Mario fell to the floor. Ridley stumbled away, hacking, as Pichu rammed her skull into the lizard's stomach. She leaped away before he could grab her, and as soon as Mario jumped to his feet, he glared at her.

"What'd I say?" Mario yelled. "Get outta he–urk!"

Before he could finish, Ridley grabbed him by the collar. He roared once, flapping his wings and sending spittle into his face. Then he slammed Mario into the ground. The tile floor caved, and the shards dug into Mario's back as Ridley dragged him across the floor.

With a growl, Mario grabbed Ridley's wrist with both hands. Mario squeezed. Hard. Bones popped under his crushing grip, and the lizard shrieked in pain. A sudden rush of air passed by his ears, and then Mario found himself flying into the air.

Boxes flew into the air. Mario slammed into a large pillar holding up the floor above, and spots burst out in front of his eyes as plaster dust hailed down on him. He blinked them away. As he pulled himself out from under the pile of boxes, he saw Ridley take hold of the silver case.

His eyes narrowed. "Oh no you don't," he muttered, digging into one of the boxes beside him.

His fingers brushed something hard. He pulled it out without hesitation. It was a shell and a green one at that.

 _That's convenient,_ he thought. _Not that I'm complaining._

With what little arm space he had, Mario flung the shell across the floor. The shell streaked toward the lizard's feet, but he stepped away before it could hit. A mistake on Mario's part. The lizard spun to face him, and he hissed victoriously.

This time the mistake was Ridley's. The shell hit a column behind him, sending cracks shooting up the pillar. It bounced back and struck Ridley's legs, knocking him off his feet. As he stumbled, the box slipped out of his hands. It flew through the air, and it disappeared over the edge and onto the floor below.

Ridley didn't waste a beat. In an instant he leaped after it, spreading his wings to glide down to the floor. Mario didn't follow, though. Instead, he stopped, pulling out items from the boxes around him.

"I knew it was a bad idea to leave the house with no power-ups on me," he said. "I guess I'll just have to make do with what I've got."

He hadn't even thought he'd have to bring them with him anyway. This was supposed to be a low-key shopping trip for Pichu. He hadn't counted on fighting with Ridley over their package. Either he'd grabbed the wrong package, or Ridley really wanted the thing they'd intended to buy.

The light pittering of tiny paws alerted him, and he looked up to see Pichu scurrying toward him. The small electric mouse stopped at the base of the pile. She stared up at him, drooping her ears as she tilted her head.

"Stay," Mario said.

He reached into a box under his right hand, and he pulled out a Bob-omb and a boomerang. Without a second of thought, he stuffed them into his pockets, and, giving Pichu a motion to remain where she was, he took off after Ridley.

Pushing over the railing like a hurdle, he leaped over the edge. A spiderweb of cracks appeared at his feet as he slamming into the ground. The impact didn't phase him, though, and he was already up and running the moment he hit the floor.

Over a field of upturned chairs several feet away, Ridley hefted the box into the air. He released a victorious screech. A boomerang to the face cut it off, and as the boomerang swerved around, it knocked the box out of his hands. It flew back into Mario's outstretched hand. The moment Ridley saw him, he snarled, none too happy to see that he'd followed. Mario just hurled the boomerang at Ridley again.

Ridley ducked. The boomerang flew over his head. Instead of waiting for it to come back to hit him, though, the lizard burst toward him with a mighty sweep of his wings. Chairs flew in every direction. Ridley claws cut across the air as he tried to grab him. Mario rolled away, and the lizard's hand plunged into the floor. With his hand stuck, Mario jumped back at Ridley, drawing his fist back for a punch.

Ridley's tail slammed into his gut. Mario wheezed, all the breath rushing out of him in a single blow. The strike sent him flying into a pile of chairs. The upturned legs jabbing into his back certainly didn't soften the blow as he landed, and as he tumbled off the pile, his entire body felt like he'd been struck a hundred times over. Mario groaned, rubbing what was probably a bruise on his side, and he hissed.

That probably saved his life. A streak of blue passed by him moments later, missing the side of his face by inches. It tore through the air, before it burst into pieces against the pillar behind Mario. He glanced back at the center of the room, just in time to see Ridley turn tail and leave, the box in his hands.

Ignoring the bruises all over his body, Mario broke into a sprint after him. He forced himself to move faster and faster when he passed a yellow cart filled with cleaning supplies. He plucked a mop out of it, and as he neared Ridley, he pushed off the ground.

Ridley spun around. His yellow eyes widened. Mario thrust the wooden end of the mop at the package, but it stopped short of hitting its target. Three claws wrapped around the shaft, gleaming like poisoned barbs. Ridley hissed and sputtered, and before Mario could let go, he hurled him at another supporting column a few yards away.

Mario spun himself around, and he planted both feet on the pillar. He bent his knees to slow himself down. Then, before gravity could take its toll, he lunged for Ridley one more time, swinging his mop around him like a staff.

He swung down at Ridley's head, but Ridley's arm met him halfway with a clang. Mario spun away and tried to sweep out his legs. Another clang rang out as Ridley blocked again. Mario pulled back. Then he thrust his mop at Ridley's stomach, but the lizard threw his tail out in return.

Mario leaned back to avoid being skewered by the longer weapon. His mop, however, wasn't as lucky. The sharp tip of Ridley's tail dug into the end of the wooden shaft. Bits of wood scattered everywhere, and when Mario pulled his weapon away, the solid end of the mop had been reduced to a splintered mess. Ridley didn't give him the chance to recover, though, and he lunged for Mario not a second later.

His claws slashed downward. Mario raised his broom to block it. Three wooden segments fell to the floor. Mario jumped back before Ridley could hit him. It wasn't far enough, though, and as he lifted his gaze back to Ridley, the lizard was already almost upon him.

Mario only had time to throw the two ends of the broom away before Ridley pounced. Ridley's clawed feet grabbed his shoulders, and he toppled to the ground. A second had barely passed before Ridley curled his tail around his legs and dropped it on Mario's face.

Mario stopped it short of digging into his large nose, catching it with both hands at the last second. He tried breaking it, but the plates on here were much heavier than the ones on his arm. Ridley snarled and pressed down harder. Mario pushed back with equal force. They were in a deadlock.

"I'll kill you!" he said. It was rare for the space pirate captain to speak, so his voice wheezed and crackled like it hadn't been used for a long time.

The box in Ridley's hands fell to the floor with a metallic clang. Mario barely had time to react before Ridley placed his own hands on his tail. With the extra weight behind it, the tail inched toward Mario's face. Mario's efforts redoubled, but no matter how hard he pushed, the tail just kept getting closer. At last, the tip pressed against Mario's nose. A trickle of blood emerged from his nose.

From the corner of his eye, Mario saw something spark. Ridley jerked back, and the lizard's weight lifted from Mario's chest. The moment he let him go, Mario lunged at Ridley. Ridley caught both his hands and tried to push him into the floor. Mario grunted from the force He tried to stay on his feet, but the lizard's strength forced him to his knees. Water droplets scattered into the air as his overalls dropped into a puddle.

Both Mario and Ridley paused. Since when had the floor become so wet?

Both of them glanced over to the right. The janitor cart Mario had passed only seconds ago had been tipped over, spilling water over the mall's clean floors. And standing by the cart was Pichu, her eyes narrowed in an angry scowl.

Mario got the message in an instant. As fast as he could, he slipped out from under Ridley's grasp and leaped away. Ridley stumbled, not expecting it. The second his feet left the ground, Pichu's cheeks lit up, and she released a shockwave. The electricity spilled out from her and into the water, arching and bounding across the growing puddle, kicking up tiny droplets of water as it swept across the surface until it surged up Ridley's legs and all over his body.

Ridley howled. The electricity passed as quickly as it had come, leaving Ridley a charred shell. Smoke rose from his nostrils. A low creak came from somewhere, and he stumbled forward, dazed.

Taking Ridley's tail in his hands, Mario tore the lizard off his feet. Ridley scrabbled to regain his footing. Mario just pulled harder, swinging him around faster and faster like a hammer. As he picked up speed, Ridley's body left the floor. Ridley started to panic. He kicked back against Mario's hands, scraping against his gloves to force him to let go.

So Mario let go, sending Ridley flying through the air and straight into the pillar behind the pile of chairs.

Ridley crashed into the floor, a mangled heap of limbs and bone. He picked himself up, hissing in pain, when something bumped against his leg. On instinct, he slammed his claws down on it.

The bob-omb chimed, exploding a second later. The whole mall shook with the force of the explosion. The column behind Ridley burst into pieces. Ridley only had time to look up as the entire floor above him came crashing down.

Mario watched as large chunks of debris buried Ridley in a pile of plaster and stone. Then he collapsed, all the adrenaline fleeing from his body now that there was nothing left to catch.

As he lay sprawled on the floor, his wounds throbbed, the distraction of the fight no longer there to hide the pain. There was a wound on his shoulder, and a cut in his nose. Most people who had fought Ridley had come out worse. He'd had help, though, so he'd had a lucky break this time.

Just then, Pichu's head popped into his line of sight, and she chirped. She was concerned for him.

Mario chuckled again, and as he sat up, she pressed her head against his side. He did his best to disguise the pain that flared up when she touched him, and instead, he patted her head.

"No need to worry, kid. I'm fine," he said. Then, a frown crossed his face, and he lifted his hand. "Although..."

Pichu glanced up at him, confused as to why he had stopped petting her. Mario gave her a stern look in response, and he crossed his arms.

"I really should scold you for doing something like that. I did tell you to stay upstairs. And your daddy says you ain't supposed to use your electric powers since it might hurt you."

At this, Pichu glanced away, and her ears dropped. Mario's gaze softened, though, and he returned his hand to Pichu's head. That probably hadn't been something she had been expecting to hear, and that was on him. When she looked up at him, he gave her a smile.

"You did save me though. So I'll let you get away with it, you little scamp."

Pichu's eyes lit up. She squeaked, and Mario found himself battered by the electric mouse's affections.

"Hey," he said, pushing her off him. "Why don't we check the box? See if it's got what you've been looking for, eh?"

He got to his feet, and as he headed for the box Ridley had tossed away in their fight, Pichu followed. The dripping stopped as their feet left the puddle, and soon they found themselves standing over the box. Mario knelt down, keeping Pichu away with one arm. With his other, he slowly pried open the lid and peeked inside.

Almost immediately a look of disappointment crossed his face. He closed the lid with a disappointed sigh, and when he turned to Pichu, she tilted her head, this time curious as to what he had found.

Mario just shook his head. "Looks like the really were out of stock. This ain't what we've been looking for."

When Pichu's gaze fell to the floor, he rubbed her head.

"Don't look so down," he said. "We'll find you a thunderstone someday. Just not today."

In the distance, police sirens wailed. Mario turned his head in their direction. Then he looked around at all the destruction they'd caused.

Looking back at Pichu, he said, "You don't think they'd ban us for this, do you?"

Pichu glanced around, just as he had. When her eyes fell back on him, she gave him a look that said she didn't know what to think.

"Ah, you'll understand later," Mario said. "I never liked this place anyway. Too many tight corridors, too many sharp turns."

His eyes went back to the box, and reluctantly, he took it in his own hands. This hadn't been what they wanted, but...

"They guys at home are gonna have a field day with this, wouldn't you say?" he said as he got to his feet.

Pichu didn't give him an immediate answer. When he looked down at her, he found her staring back at the pile of rubble Ridley had disappeared beneath. It didn't take him long to figure out why.

A part of the pile shook, and out from underneath, Ridley's head popped out. Mario was instantly on guard. He stepped in front of Pichu, blocking her from Ridley's sight, and he fell into a fighting stance.

Ridley's eyes locked onto him. He didn't immediately attack, though. He just stared. Then, he asked, "Who are you?"

Ridley's own hands found his throat, and he seemed surprised at how ragged his voice sounded.

"Who am I?" was his next question.

Mario glanced at the mall's doors, where red and blue lights had just begun to pool up from behind the glass. He looked down at Pichu, who was staring at Ridley in curiosity. Then he looked at Ridley, who, true to his word, didn't seem to have a clue as to what was going on.

He threw back his head and groaned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What happens next?
> 
> Well, I don't know. It really isn't up to me. As I said, this is a collaborative effort. A different person writes each chapter, and the only thing that holds it all together are things that carry on from one chapter to the next. Each chapter might feature completely different characters with completely different tones. Who's to say what happens next?
> 
> And if you want to join in you should totally join us all on the discord server Super Smash Prose at https://discord.gg/gDK48ua *cough* *cough*
> 
> And no, that wasn't an invitation. That was a threat.
> 
> Also, why does Ao3 keep adding the notes at the end of Chapter 1 to the end of the whole fic? Surely there's an easier way to make sure this doesn't happen.


	2. A twisty twist

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mario and Pichu look for someone to help them get Ridley’s memories back. Little do they know that this will lead to many unexpected scenarios.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wassup? Variabels here to bring you a pretty messed up chapter that’s way too fast-paced.

Mario couldn’t do anything but mentally curse as the policemen made their way into the building. He shouldn’t have engaged in combat, especially with items on.

Had it been Black Friday, everything might have been different. But it wasn’t Friday and now his perfect relationship with Master Hand was going to be ruined.

“All right, we heard what happened here,” one of the officers spoke up, “Never in the history of this mall have we ever seen anything as disgusting and disrespectful as this. Had it been only one person, it would have been no problem. But at least twenty people here are guilty.”

Everyone in the mall froze. Mario was confused, had other people been fighting in other stores?

“We heard this all started when a girl named Lucina decided to remove the bubbles from her bubble tea and her parents didn’t scold her,” another cop continued, “Ever since people have been disrespecting food and drinks. Just today, we saw at least ten kids cutting their spaghetti.”

The crowd became wild as the cop finished his sentence. Chrom and Robin were yelling at their daughter for getting everyone in trouble. Lucas and Ness insisted that Villager cut their spaghetti without consent. Kirby was streaming the scene on Twitch. Cops were struggling to keep everything in order.

“Mamma Mia!” a disgusted Mario shouted, “How could they disrespect spaghetti like- Wait, no. I have more important business to attend to. Good luck, cops.”

“Thank you. We will catch all these assholes.”

Mario sighed as he looked at the pathetic purple dragon. He couldn’t bring him back to the mansion in this state. He needed to find a way to get the dragon’s memory back.

“Tell me anything you remember,” the Italian plumber ordered, “What do you feel when you look at me? When you look at Pichu?”

“I think we’re all the best of friends!” Ridley smiled, “But what happened to her ear? It’s all spiky.”

“Ugh. Just help us find someone who can give you your memory back.”

* * *

The group split up and looked for help. Mario, naturally, had no luck. The smash universe hated him for some reason. Ridley had passed by every psychic in the mall without realizing it. Everything now rested on Pichu’s tiny shoulders.

Mario and Ridley were sitting on a bench drinking coffee. They didn’t know what to do. Their search had been a total waste of time.

Pichu ran up to them, making them spill their coffee on the floor, and pointed towards the Apple store.

“Pichu, that is not the store Ganondorf works at,” Mario glared as he cleaned the bench.

The yellow rat glared at the plumber’s stupidity. She hated her tiny arms that made it impossible to point.

Pichu forced the two idiots she was hanging out with into the Apple store before going to one of the iPhones and googling something.

Ridley and Mario looked down at the iPhone and then up and then down again and then up again.

“Ridley, walk up to him and ask him to help you,” Mario whispered as he pointed to a redhead looking at some iPhones, “He’s like the second nicest of the Fire Emblem guys.”

“Oh, but I can’t go ruin his date, that would be rude,” Ridley insisted.

Mario gave Ridley a death glare before speaking up.

“Hey, Roy, come over here for a minute!”

“Can this wait?” an annoyed Roy asked, “I’m in the middle of something important right now.”

“Buying Marth his millionth iPhone isn’t important. We need you to use the Binding Blade on Ridley.”

“You want me to kill him? I don’t want to get kicked out of Smash when I’m finally good at it. I’m sorry but I-“

“No, just give him his memory back. He lost it. We read online that the Binding Blade can do whatever it’s wielder’s heart desires.”

Roy didn’t know what to say. Mario was technically right. But he really didn’t want to give an evil dragon his memories back. The only people who’d complain about an amnesiac Ridley would be Master Hand and maybe Ganondorf.

“You know Roy doesn’t give a shit about Ridley, right?” Marth asked Mario.

“You know I don’t give a shit about what Roy thinks about anyone, right?” an annoyed Mario snapped back inadvertently amusing the prince.

“And you know no one gives a shit about what you think about anyone, right?”

“Forget it, Marth. We need Roy’s help and we’ll do anything to get it.”

“Anything?” Roy smiled, “Like anything? If you pay for Marth’s new-“

“As long as we can afford it.”

* * *

Mario ended up buying Marth and Roy some bubble teas before leading them to the park where they would try to restore Ridley’s memories.

However, it was apparent that no one was taking anything seriously. Marth and Pichu technically had no business being there. Ridley was picking flowers and making flower crowns. Roy who had taken a lot of time to finish his bubble tea had offered to finish Marth’s and the prince naturally accepted the offer.

After what had felt like an hour to Mario, everyone was ready. There was no going back now. Ridley was going to go back to being evil regardless of whether it was a good thing or not.

“Will it hurt?” Ridley asked as he pointed towards Roy’s Binding Blade, “Swords kill people.”

“Worst case scenario, you’ll die,” Roy informed the purple dragon before swinging his sword at him.

There was not a single scream. Just a big explosion followed by a blinding light. Mario was worried, this couldn’t be good news. All the smoke in the air made the Italian pass out.

* * *

When Mario regained his consciousness, he heard laughter. He recognized the voices as belonging to Pichu, Roy and Marth. But there was something strange.

‘I wonder what those three are up to. Wait... I think... I think... There is another.’

Mario jolted up and ran towards the Melee fighters who were having a good time. They were playing with someone Mario didn’t recognize.

“Pichu Pichu!!!” Pichu squeaked as she jumped on Mario’s head and pointed towards her fellow Melee fighters.

“Mario, look,” Roy pointed towards Marth who was holding someone small, “Isn’t he the cutest?”

“Marth? He’s a mean Melee elitist who thinks he’s better than everyone and discriminated against everyone who didn’t debut in Melee. I don’t know what you see in him at all.”

“Oh, I suppose I get where you’re coming from. I guess Marth is cuter than baby Ridley.”

“Please tell me you’re joking.”

“Guys, he’s about to say his first words!” Marth grinned as he looked at the baby dragon in his arms, “Come on, you can do it, baby Ridley. Just like we practiced!”

“Mm... Mm...” the baby dragon stuttered,” Ma... Mama!”

“He can’t say Mar-mar properly yet. That doesn’t count.”

Mario could not believe it. First, Ridley l’oses his memories. Next, Ridley becomes a baby. What was next? Ridley disappears into thin air?

“Since I know you two are irresponsible, I’ll take care of the baby.” Mario grabbed Ridley out of Marth’s arms before screaming in pain as the baby bit him. “Mamma Mia! What was that for?”

“Oh, but we’re the irresponsible ones,” Roy glared.

“Fine, you two can take care of him for now. We need to find someone who knows about taking care of babies.”

“Chrom and Robin know about babies.”

“No, their daughter started all the problems at the mall. We can’t have baby Ridley involved.”

“Apple store it is.”

* * *

The local Apple store at the town square was one of the seven wonders of the small town located to the South of the Smash Mansion. The Apple store was dominating the market thanks to their legendary costumer service provided by the King of Darkness who didn’t get paid enough by a floating hand.

“So, you need my help taking care of baby Ridley, huh?” Ganondorf smirked as he looked at his five clients, “That will be two iPhones. Who’s paying?”

“Not it!” Marth yelled.

“I can’t afford them!” Mario informed everyone, “Master Hand keeps lowering my pay.”

“Pichu!” Pichu protester.

“Fine, I’ll get the green one for my mom and the red one for my dad,” Roy sighed in defeat before noticing a glare being directed at him, “You know what, the most expensive phone you have for Marth. I guess dad doesn’t really need one since he’s in Pherae, so just the green one for my mom.”

“Deal,” Ganondorf replied, “Meet me at the mall’s baby store in twenty minutes.”

* * *

It wasn’t every day you saw four grown men and a pichu walking into a baby store with a baby dragon. People were staring and asking to take pictures with baby Ridley. Baby Ridley didn’t appear to mind because he had fallen asleep.

“We want all your supplies for baby dragons,” Ganondorf told the cashier, “I’ll give you a free costumer service session.”

“Oh, alright,” the cashier sighed as she took out a lot of diaper boxes.

While Ganondorf handles getting all the supplies, the others were wondering what to do with baby Ridley. They needed roles for everyone.

“I will take care of making his food,” Mario decided, “I’m the only one here who can cook.”

“I’ll play with him,” Marth said, “I’ll also make him his own Instagram account.”

“I suppose I’ll watch over him while he sleeps,” Roy yawned, “Hopefully, I don’t fall asleep too.”

“Pichu!” Pichu shouted.

“Yeah, I guess you can help baby Ridley put his clothes on. That means Ganondorf’s changing the diapers.”

“Pichu?”

“Roy, I think she wanted to be the one to change the diapers,” Marth giggled.

“Pichu!!!”

* * *

The group had returned to the mansion to set up everything for baby Ridley. Mario didn’t know what the others were up to. He was busy making baby Ridley’s lunch which in hindsight turned out to be a bad idea because baby food smelled gross.

Mario sighed as he looked at the pitiful excuse for food he had made. While waiting for the others to come down to the cafeteria, Mario looked at the box he had kept in his pocket the entire morning. He set it on the table and wondered what he was supposed to do with what was inside.

“Mayo!” baby Ridley grinned as he ran into the cafeteria and jumped on the plumber’s head.

“Hey, there little guy,” Mario greeted as he took the dragon off his head and set him on the table, “You shouldn’t be up there.”

“Mayo! Yoy! Pipi! Mama! Gaga!”

“You gave everyone nicknames, huh? I think you might want to change Pichu’s. It’s not exactly appropriate.”

The little dragon didn’t understand what Mario was going on about. His little baby dragon brain couldn’t make out the words because of the thick Italian accent.

Once Mario had finished feeding the little dragon, he took him up to the living room in the hopes of distracting him with the TV. Mario really needed to know where the others were, his job was just feeding the baby. Luckily, they were all in the living room watching video tutorials on how to take care of a baby.

At least, that was what Mario thought they were doing at first glance. Roy was asleep and using Marth as a pillow, Marth was playing on his new iPhone, Pichu was jumping on a pillow and Ganondorf was planning something shady. 

“Mamma Mia, do you guys take anything here seriously?” Mario scolded the group.

“W-what!?” Roy yelled as he suddenly woke up, “More Fire Emblem?”

“Shh, go back to sleep,” Marth smiled at him, “There’s nothing for you to worry about.”

“If you say so.”

“Mamma Mia, you guys are unbelievable!” Mario shouted full of rage, “One minute, you’re obsessing over baby Ridley, now-“

“Mario, I’m busy planning, be quiet,” Ganondorf ordered before whispering to himself, “Now, how do I convince the manager to raise my pay?”

Mario was upset, he couldn’t believe the nerve on those people. And it was at that moment that Mario was struck with an epiphany.

Roy was sleeping so that he could watch over Ridley during the night. Marth was making Ridley’s Instagram account and looking up games to play with him. Ganondorf was finding a way to get a raise so that he could get more stuff for baby Ridley. Pichu was practicing how to catch baby Ridley if he got into trouble.

“Mamma Mia, how could I have been so-“

“Mayo!” Baby Ridley interrupted.

Mario looked down at him and noticed a box in the dragon’s mouth. Mario couldn’t let baby Ridley play with it. The contents of the box were not suitable for babies. Mario grabbed the box out of the baby’ mouth causing baby Ridley to break down into tears.

“Mario, you son of a bitch!” Marth yelled, “Look at what you just did!”

Marth carefully pushed Roy to the other side of the couch before rushing towards Mario and kicking him. The prince picked up the baby and comforted it by singing some random anime theme song to it.

“Mama!” Ridley cheered as he hugged the prince.

“It’s Mar-mar, people are going to think I’m your mom if you keep that up,” Marth blushed in embarrassment as he put the baby on the couch, “Repeat after me, Mar-mar.”

“Mama!”

“Ugh, I guess I can’t expect a baby to get it... What’s that box?”

“Marth, don’t touch it!” Mario pleaded, “It’s dangerous. It contains...” Mario paused. He couldn’t let Marth know the truth. It was for everyone’s well-being. “It has a disk of Brawl in it.”

Marth looked at Mario with disgust before going as far away from the box as he possibly could. Mario sighed in relief, maybe Marth being a gullible weirdo really was for the best.

“What’s this box you two were talking about?” Ganondorf asked as he set down his planner.

“It’s something really bad for us Melee fighters,” Marth said as he hid behind the sofa, “Trust me, you don’t want to know.”

“Hey, baby Ridley’s about to open it.”

“Ridley, don’t do that! Brawl has terrible effects on Melee fighters ranging from nausea to fainting!”

“Noooo!!!!” Mario shouted.

And then, there was light.

* * *

Roy woke up unsure of how much time he had slept. It appeared everyone was gone from the room. Roy assumes no one wanted to disturb his sleep, he was the one who had to look after baby Ridley after all.

Roy took out his phone and realized it was 3 am. He tried calling his friends but there was no signal. Maybe there was a problem with his phone.

Since it was so late, Roy assumed someone else was in charge of looking after Ridley. He walked towards the living room door and as he tried to open it, he noticed he was locked in.

Roy was about to go back to the couch when he noticed a key on the floor. He didn’t understand why he had been locked in but he knew he needed to find out why.

Roy unlocked the door and entered the hallway which was unsurprisingly quiet. Everyone was supposed to be asleep after all. He turned on his phone’s flashlight and made his way towards his room.

As he walked through the mansion, he noticed the walls had scratches and stains on them. On closer inspection, the stains appeared to be blood.

Not liking what he had just seen, Roy rushed to his room. He quickly entered it and shut the door. He noticed the window was open and the blinds hadn’t been lowered. The room appeared to be empty at first but Roy could hear some faint sounds coming from the bathroom.

He couldn’t quite make out what they were. At first, they sounded like giggles. But the more he listened, the more he realized it sounded like someone singing while holding back tears.

“Hello?” Roy asked as he knocked in the door, “I won’t hurt you. Everything’s going to be alright.”

“Yoy!” Baby Ridley giggled as the door was unlocked.

“Hey, little guy, what are you doing- Guys, what happened?”

“Lock the door,” Mario ordered, “We can’t let our guard down.”

Roy stared in shock at his injured friends. Their day had started with so much fun and joy, so how did it end up like this?

Ganondorf was sitting in a corner covered in wounds. He was patting Pichu who was having her arm bandaged by a beaten up Mario. Roy sat down next to Marth who had bandages around his head and arms.

“Marth, you shouldn’t be wearing your tiara if you head is injured,” Roy told the prince as he took his tiara off, “I’ll keep it safe for you.”

“T-thanks,” Marth replied, “You’re not angry, are you?”

“Angry? I guess I’m angry at whoever hurt you. Why do you ask?”

“Everyone else... T-they were all...”

“Mama?” Baby Ridley asked as he noticed Marth started crying.

“I-I’m sorry... I was supposed to be the one to stop you from crying and here I am...”

“Hey, Marth, it’s okay,” Roy reassured the prince as he wrapped his arms around him, “I’m here for you. You don’t have to explain anything if you don’t want to.”

Baby Ridley stared in confusion as Marth hugged the taller swordsman back. Unsure of what a hug meant, the baby dragon walked up to one of Marth’s legs and hugged it.

“Be careful, you don’t want to scratch his leg,” Mario told the baby as he picked him up, “We need to put a stop to this madness.”

“I haven’t heard any noise coming from outside for quite a while,” Ganondorf informed the Italian, “I think everyone besides us has left the mansion. We should take a car to the town’s outskirts and see if anything’s happened there.”

  
  


After some talking and planning, everyone entered Mario’s car. As he drove, Mario explained his theory about what could have caused all the chaos.

“After Ridley opened the box, there was a light and everything seemed normal. But then fighters started going insane. They were all attacking each other. I had never seen them so full of rage.”

“But how come we weren’t affected?” Roy asked, “Do you think it has to do with the box? Did you notice any patterns? Did it show up in humans first? Maybe in Pokémon? Or aliens?”

“Calm down, with all your- Wait, now that I think of it. I didn’t see any Pokémon. It could just be a coincidence though. We’ll have to check in town. But to answer your first question, I do think it has to do with the box.”

“That much is obvious,” Ganondorf frowned, “Is there really a Brawl disk in there?”

“Of course not. Let’s get out here. We don’t want to attract attention with the car.”

Pichu popped her head out of the car to check that there wasn’t anyone nearby. Once she was sure, no one was near them, she unlocked the car’s doors.

The group walked towards the town and as they got closer, they could hear screams and cries for help.

“We should head back to the mansion,” Ganondorf suggested, “We can’t go into town in the middle of the night, sleep-deprived and with a baby.”

“So, you just want to let innocent people die?” Marth glared, “You go own about how you’re the king of darkness, but you should be the king of cowards. No wonder you lose to Link all the time.”

“Hey, those innocent people are my future costumers. I wouldn’t trade my job for the world. More people will die if we go there and get ourselves killed without a plan.”

“Ganondorf’s right,” Roy agreed, “You guys are in no shape to fight, anyway.”

“Mayo!” Baby Ridley cried as he tugged on the Italian’s leg, “Mayo!”

“What’s wrong?” Mario asked as he picked up the baby, “Mamma Mia, you’re burning up. We have to get you some medicine, quickly. We need to go into town, the pharmacy is much closer than the mansion.”

“You’re going to get us all killed,” Ganondorf protested, “We have no idea what’s going on in that town and I highly doubt the pharmacy is open at this hour.”

“I know another way in. Come on, follow me.”

With no other options available, the group marched to the town. They avoided all conflict by walking through dark alleys where few of the enraged people would bother going.

As they walked through a dark alley, an enraged caterpie tried attacking them. But Pichu just gave it a little pat on the head and the caterpie ran away crying for its mom.

“We’re here, Pichu stop messing around and get in the vent,” Mario ordered, “Just follow it until you find an opening and then open the door for us.”

Pichu did as she was told. As she explored the vent, she found an opening and took a peak. It was the pharmacy but there was one problem. Someone was in it. She knew she had been told not to use her powers but she had no choice. A little shock wouldn’t hurt too much since she was already injured.

“Pichu!!!” the little Pokémon yelled as she jumped down into the store.

“Oh, how cute,” Dr. Mario laughed, “You really think you can take me on? Well, go to Hell, you little rat!”

“Pichu.”

“Stop being a little bitch! I’ll beat you up so badly that you’ll never want to fight ever again!”

Pichu felt bad about having to take on Dr. Mario. He was always kind to her. She knew this wasn’t like him but it was still his body, she knew he was still in there, she knew the doctor would never forgive her if she let him hurt her.

All it took was a thundershock to knock out the doctor. It felt wrong to Pichu but she had to do what she had to do.

The yellow Pokémon ran to the backdoor and opened it for the rest of the group. They tied Dr. Mario up before looking through all the medicine in the pharmacy.

“Hey, Ganondorf, can you reach that box?” Mario asked.

No response.

“Ganondorf?”

Mario walked towards where Ganondorf was and realized he was unconscious. He pressed his hand on the gerudo’s forehead and realized he was burning up.

“Mamma Mia, he must have gotten it from baby Ridley,” Mario said as he looked for a blanket, “Roy, you can reach the medicine, right? You should probably get some for everyone just in case.”

Roy looked up at the fever medicines and grabbed three normal medicines, one for Pokémon, one for Gerudo and one for baby dragons. He put them in a plastic bag he found and gave them to Mario.

“Do you mind giving it to baby Ridley?” Mario asked, “I think I need to go puke.”

Mario left to use the pharmacy’s bathroom while Roy walked towards Marth who was holding Ridley.

“Open up,” Roy said as he poured some medicine into a spoon, “It will make you feel better.”

“Mama!” Baby Ridley protested, “Mama!”

“Just drink the damn medicine. Look, it’s an airplane.”

“Mama!!!”

“Marth, can you feed him?”

“I...” Marth started before coughing, “I’m sorry... My entire body hurts. It’s like I’m being-“

“Don’t apologize. I’ll get you some painkillers. Just try to feed Ridley while I look for them. Also, Pichu, can you check on Mario?”

Pichu nodded and ran into the bathroom only to be met with an unexpected sight. She dashed back to where Roy was and tried her best to inform him about Mario’s condition.

“So, it’s bad news, huh?” Roy asked.

“Pichu...” Pichu nodded.

“We’ve got no choice but to spend the night here until they recover. Let’s build some makeshift beds for everyone. I’ll go get Mario, Pichu, look after Marth and the others.”

“Pi-Pichu!!!”

“W-what’s that noise?” Marth stuttered, “I-I’m not imagining things, right?”

“Just stay here,” Roy ordered as he unsheathed his sword, “I’ll go check.”

“Yoy!” Ridley cried before collapsing.

“Marth, you gave him his medicine, right?”

“Of course, I did. Why wouldn’t-“ The sentence was abruptly interrupted by some coughing. “Damn it... I... Roy, I...”

Roy barely caught the fainting prince in time. He placed him next to baby Ridley and ordered Pichu to protect them at all costs before slowly making his way towards the source of the weird noise.

The noise was coming from the bathroom and appeared to be footsteps. Roy thought Pichu had implied Mario had fainted, did he misunderstand her?

As he opened the bathroom door, he couldn’t see Mario anywhere. There was no trace of him. Instead, a creature Roy couldn’t recognize was sitting on the toilet seat. All the creature could do was stare as it was unable to communicate its thoughts to the swordsman.

“I-I’m so sorry!” the redhead apologized as he ran out of the bathroom.

As he returned to the pharmacy, he noticed everyone except Pichu was gone. All he saw was creatures he couldn’t recognize.

“Pichu, what’s going on?”

“Pichu...”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed!  
> So, I have this headcanon that Ganondorf works in the Apple store as customer service. He actually has no idea what it’s supposed to be but since he makes the store lots of money, he’s considered the best employee. Any normal shop would have fired him.  
> Marth and Roy swear in front of kids because their native language is Japanese and everyone thought it would be funny to make them think swear words are totally normal words.  
> I really love baby Yoda, so I turned Ridley into a baby. Will he still be a baby next chapter? I don’t know.  
> Why’s everyone angry? Why did the guys get sick? Why are Roy and Pichu fine? Will all the characters from this chapter still be relevant next chapter? I have no idea.  
> See you guys idk when!


	3. smash collab chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, TheChargingRhino here. You like Pokemans? I’ve got them and more. 
> 
> Please note that there is cursing and violence towards minors in this chapter. With that said, happy reading.

"I need you to hide." Wolf gave the bunny a weak smile as he awkwardly hugged him and then gently shoved him towards a wooden crate in the near darkness. Link didn't need to be told twice as he ran over to the crate and dove behind it; he heard the bipedal canine snarl at the red reptile that had stepped into the room.

Not even five minutes earlier, the two had awoken to find themselves strange creatures, each a different species, and had quickly found themselves under attack soon after.

Link risked looking out from behind the wooden crate, then flinched as he saw Wolf take a hit from the red reptile. Wolf then responded by launching himself at the beast and received a slash to the upper chest. The fire bunny felt his twin floppy ears pin themselves to his head and he took a few steps backwards, ready to start running at a moments' notice.

Unfortunately, the creature noticed him and ran over to the crate, picked up Link by the throat and held him in the air.

The black and red scaled reptile snarled, then placed a single claw against the bunny's face, next to his left eye. "How'd you like to lose an eye? Or two?" He held up two more claws on the hand and moved them downwards, setting them against the rabbit's stomach. "Or how about getting your innards ripped out of you?"

The fire bunny emitted a quiet squeak of fear and merely gazed at the reptile with slightly glazed over eyes. The reptile bared his fangs in a cruel smile before he removed his claws from Link's stomach area.

Link briefly wondered if he was going to get off scot free but then the creature slashed downwards towards his face, causing his vision to turn white for a few moments. He then felt something warm and sticky start to run down the left side of his face and it started to feel hot, then as if it was burning. His vision returned slowly; it was blurred at first, but it eventually returned and he saw the reptile holding bloodied claws, a savage grin on his face. "I didn't half blind you. But I messed up your face a bit."

Before Link could fully process what the creature had said, the beast threw him down against the tile floor, knocking the wind out of him. He hit the floor with a yelp of shock, before the reptile rolled the bunny onto his back with a clawed foot and pinned him.

A spike of adrenaline and fear courses through the rabbit as the beast opened his mouth a bit and hissed, showing every single one of his sharp fangs. The reptile shut his mouth, eyed Link, then pressed down harder with his foot, causing the young creature to act instinctively, and he flailed around for a moment before raking the claws of one hand down the reptile's foot, causing the creature to roar and then kick him in the side, at the very least bruising if not breaking something.

The reptile slammed his foot down, pinning Link to the floor again, then he lashed out with a clawed hand, narrowly missing Link's left eye and enlarging the already fresh scar on his face. Blood hit the reptile's face and upper chest and he let out a cruel laugh as the bunny emitted a rare muted cry of pain before the reptile lowered his head towards him. "Yes, beg for someone to save you, rabbit. I want to hear you beg, so beg!"

The creature pressed down harder with his foot, when he didn't get a reaction, he continued to press down harder until he heard something snap. He eased up a bit, though not by much and he gazed down at the fire bunny, the young creature's face stained with blood and now fresh tears. "You gonna beg now, kid? Or you want me to break something else?"

Link only felt sheer rage; he couldn't stand being treated like this, and he hated feeling so helpless. The bunny weakly growled and started trying to pry the clawed foot from his chest, then glared at the creature when that didn't work. "Far you," he spat, voice jumping in volume, "I have nothing to say to you."

The red reptile looked down at Link, as if he was impressed, then raised his clawed foot and bared his teeth at Link. "Consider yourself lucky, kid. If you were older, I wouldn't hesitate to kill you. But as young as you are…"

The creature snapped his jaws close to the bunny's head and he punched the thing in the face without thinking about it. The crocodile snarled, reared his head back, then grabbed the small bunny and lifted him into the air, drawing a clawed fist back as if to punch the already injured creature even further.

"Put the kid down. Now." A low growl got the croc's attention and he whipped his head to his left, fist still raised.

Wolf had lifted his head and was now glaring daggers at the beast before him.

"So, you're awake as well."

"It'll take more than that to kill me." The wolf slowly picked himself up from the tile floor and glared at the attacking Pokemon, his glowing eyes just visible in the low lighting. "And just who and what are you supposed to be?"

The Pokémon bared his teeth in a savage grin and chuckled as he let go of Link. "I am Krookodile, at your service." and then made a mock bow as the red reptile focused his gaze on Link. "And what are you doing here, Scorbunny? You seem like you just hatched to me."

Link merely stared up at the Krookodile with wide eyes, unable to speak. His gaze flickered to Wolf, then back to the thing before him, quite literally frozen with fear.

Before Link could say anything, Wolf walked over, picked him up, and then threw him towards Krookodile without warning. The fire type instinctively kicked outwards, his clawed furred feet striking the creature on his snout before the bunny flipped backwards and landed before Wolf, who merely nodded. "Good. That was excellent."

For some reason, Wolf's voice was filled with pride and he felt the emotion wash over him. For a moment, he also felt confused, but then the Krookodile shook off the attack and reached out towards Link, who started walking backwards. The wolf bared his fangs in a savage snarl before Wolf kicked off the tile floor and sent the reptile flying with a well timed punch.

Wolf watched the Krookodile fly through the air and land somewhere in the next room, then felt his ears flicker at the sound of muted sobs. Feeling slight dread, the canine turned around and his eyes widened at the sight of the small creature before him. Blood was trickling down his face and dying his white fluffy fur red, and his upper chest was bruised.

"Link?"

The bunny took a shuddering breath and then lost his battle with his emotions, starting to openly cry a second later.

Wolf stood there for a moment, mind racing, before he knelt down before Link and held his arms out a bit, inviting him for a hug.

The fire bunny simply hugged him and didn't let go, Wolf felt slightly out of his element for just a moment, then he hugged Link back, as gently as he could under the circumstances. "You're gonna be okay kid." He pulled back a bit. "I need to see your wounds. Feel like showing then to me?" The bipedal wolf ignored the feeling of his chest fur getting wet from tears and waited for an answer. He got one in the reply of a small choked "no", and Wolf sighed. "I want to help you, I can't do that if I can't see your wounds."

The small rabbit looked up at Wolf, and then nodded, allowing the canine to look at his wounds. "They'll scar, but you'll live."

Link nodded and then pitched forwards, having fallen asleep. Wolf caught the bunny as he fell and picked him up in his arms, then snapped his head up as he sensed movement. "Who's there?"

A black bird stepped into view from around a corner and raised its wings. "Whoa, Wolf, it's me, Falco!"

Wolf blinked and then grinned. "I was wondering if I'd find you. Did you take care of our 'friend?"

"You mean the red scaly idiot? Yeah, I dealt with him." The bird ruffled his feathers a bit and turned his beak upright in a grin. "You know, being like this isn't that bad."

Wolf looked down at himself and shifted a bit."Feels weird not wearing clothes though."

Falco's grinned faded a bit. "Yeah… There is that." Then he shook his head. "We can't do anything about it anyway. You said you haven't found anyone else besides the kid?"

Wolf shook his head. "No. Just him."

"I found Incineroar. I - we can understand him now, since all of us got turned into Pokémon."

Wolf perked his ears and gazed at Falco. "We did?"

"Yeah." The bird lifted his wings and flapped them a few times. "I'm a Corviknight."

"And you, McDonnel, are a Midnight Lycanroc, and Link is a Scorbunny." The bipedal fire cat was standing in the doorway, smirking. "For a newly turned 'mon, you know how to act like one."

Falco nodded in response and looked at the sleeping creature in the Midnight Lycanroc's arms.  
"His wound seems to have stopped bleeding. That's good at least."

Falco nodded as the fire type walked over to them. "That's like the only good thing that's happened, besides you finding us."

Incineroar looked down at the Midnight Lycanroc. "I don't get it, Wolf. Why are you being nice now?"

Wolf waved a paw. "...Because… I, I dunno, when I saw the kid getting beat up… Something inside me changed."

_"Changed?"_

Wolf kept walking down the hallway. "Yeah, I know, it sounds stupid, I shouldn't have said anything."

The Corviknight chuckled. "So you _do_ have a soft side after all, good to know."

The Midnight Lycanroc whipped his head around and growled softly at Falco, not wanting to wake up the Scorbunny in his arms. "One more peep outta you, Lombardi, and you're _dead._ "

Falcons merely smiled. "Annnnddddddddd there's the Wolf I know. Now let's find some of the others, yeah?"

* * *

“I’m Faring _what_?!” 

Cloud, or the creature that claimed to be Cloud, gazed at Link with a deadpan expression. 

“Please calm down, you’re not making this situation better for any of us.” 

“To Hel with calming down, Cloud! We’re… I-I don’t even know what…” At a loss of words, Link simply showed the fire creature before him his arms. “Feathers! I have _feathers_!!!! And they’re **BLUE**!!!” 

The blue colored duck flapped his new appendages frantically in panic.

Bowser simply held out an arm and examined his armor scales, then flexed his claws. Link and Cloud gawked at him, then the fire creature stammered out a response. “How are you not panicking?” 

The Koopa King, or whatever he had been turned into, stared coolly at the transformed Hylian and Mako soldier. “To answer your question, Cloud, I know that we’re going to figure out what happened to us soon. Whether we find out ourselves or if someone is going to help us, I don’t know.” 

“Dad?” The three turned to see a smaller version of Bowser’s new form clutching the doorway, his sharp claws cutting the door frame to splinters. The creature took a small step forward and raised his arms a bit, letting go of the door frame as he did so. “I-I woke up, and now I’m like this. Lucina changed too!” 

A figure appeared behind Jr. and hugged him, then stepped into the room. “Hey. I suppose none of you have any idea what happened, do you?” 

Everyone shook their heads while Jr. hugged back. “Lucina , do _you_ know what happened?”

The orange creature with the split tail shrugged. “I don’t know. I woke up, and I was like this.”

Luncia felt a hand - paw, rather - on her shoulder and she turned to see Lucario smiling at her.  
“Hello. I’m happy to see that all of you are more or less alright.”

“Hi Lucario. You mind telling us what happened?” Cloud crossed his arms and glared at the psychic type as he stepped into the room. 

“The others and I are already figuring that out. Incineroar has found others, mainly Wolf, Falco, and the Hero of Winds. We are still trying to locate everyone else. Now then, as for what you have turned into. Lucina, you are now a Buziel, a water type; Link, you are now a Golduck, also a water type; Cloud, you are now a Quilava, a fire type; Bowser, you are a Kommo-o, also a fire type, and Jr, you are a Hakamo-o, another fire type. Any questions?” 

Jr. simply hugged his dad, then walked up to everyone else and hugged them as well, then asked them if they wanted a group hug. The older Pokemon looked at each other, rolled their eyes, and then hugged each other. “Yay, group hug!” 

A second later, everyone separated and looked at Lucario, who motioned for everyone to follow him. “Mewtwo wants to get everyone together in the main courtyard. Follow me.”

* * *

Ganondorf was _not_ having a good day. Especially since he had been turned into this scale plated creature. He was thinking of destroying a few shelves to improve his mood, but was interrupted by a small voice. 

“Are you alright, Mister Dragmire?” Pichu was looking up at him, a small bat like creature sitting besides her. “Ridley’s okay!” 

The bat flapped his wings and spoke. “Re'd'lee!" he seemed proud of himself and the young creature laughed as Pichu hugged him. 

Dragmire couldn’t help but smile at the sight and he let the transformed dragon climb up onto his shoulders. “Do you know what I’ve turned into, Pichu?” 

The small electric rodent nodded. “You’re a … Ty-ran-i-tar. I think Aunt Greninja calls you a rock type, which means you’re very powerful.” 

Pichu spread her arms out and then start hopping up and down. “Oh! That means you can use Rock Tomb and Earthquake and Ancient Power and lots of other cool moves!!!” 

The Tyranitar got up from the floor and then picked up Pichu, setting her on his free shoulder, and walked over to Roy, who was pacing back and forth while muttering things to himself. A strange mushroom like creature was standing before Roy, a “don’t even talk to me” look on its face. Another creature was beside it, one that seemed to have sword blades for hands. 

The two saw Ganondorf and ran over to him.  
“As if this couldn’t get any worse, look at me! I have no arms!” Mario’s voice came from the mushroom creature and Pichu leapt to the floor and bounded up to him. 

“You’re a Shroomish. Marth is a Bisharp!” exclaimed the electric type as she ran around Marth and then over to Roy, who picked her up. Pichu started talking to him, possibly explaining what was going on. 

“Do you have any idea on how we are to return to the mansion?” Ganondorf thought this whole ordeal was ridiculous and judging by Mario’s reaction, he thought the same thing.

The transformed plumber nodded. “I have one idea.” 

Which is why everyone ended up piled in the car. 

Ganondorf and Mario were in the back, Baby Ridley and Pichu in between them. Marth was in the front passenger seat while Roy was in the driver's. 

“Are you sure you know how to drive?” The Bisharp looked at his friend suspiciously while Mario kept complaining that he had no arms. 

Roy looked down at the various things in front of him. “Uh... No?”

Marth sighed and shook his head. “Look, I’ll tell you what to do, okay?”

“How do you know what to do?”

Marth smiled. “Because, Link taught me.”

Mario spoke up from the back. “What?! How?!”

“He said Cloud taught him. Claimed it wasn’t that different from riding that bike of his around.” 

The Shroomish blinked and then hopped up to the center console. “Alright. I’ll help too. Hopefully we don’t die. So, the first thing you do is...”

* * *

Several minutes later, everyone had gathered in the courtyard, and were now looking up at Mewtwo, who was floating above them. “Greetings, everyone, I hope you have somewhat adapted to your new forms. The others and I are trying to figure out what caused you to turn, and we believe we have come up with an answer.” The crowd cheered and Mewtwo waited for them to grow quiet before he continued. “We believe it was the work of Team Rocket.” 

Rapid fire questions were thrown at the legendary and he merely raised his hands. “The box Mario and Pichu brought back contains a poison that, when airborne, causes those that breathe it in to become Pokémon, however it only affects those that are conscious. Team Rocket somehow pumped this poison into the mansion’s air system. ” 

At this, everyone began to talk over each other until Incineroar, well, roared, and everyone grew quiet, eyes locked onto the fire cat. “Now then. We are heading to Red’s world to deal with Team Rocket and turn you back. There will be teams of course, based on typing. We’ll leave in the morning, and will discuss this further before we leave. Go on, get some rest, all of us have had a big day.” 

“A big day is a complete understatement.” said someone in the crowd as the Pokémon began to disperse. But yet, one remained after the others had left the courtyard. Mewtwo found himself looking down at a small Scorbunny with bandages wrapped around the left side of his head. 

The physic smiled and dropped down to the grass. “Hello, Link, is there something you wanted to tell me?” 

Link simply pointed upwards as a large shadow flew overhead, causing Mewtwo to look up and then tackle the Scorbunny as a massive bird dived down. “ _KKKKKKKREEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!_ ”

“It’s Articuno!!!!” yelled Greninja as she and the other “normal” Pokemon ran off the pile of rocks that had served as the stage and over to Mewtwo. Lucario picked up Link and ran off towards the mansion as Mewtwo started throwing Aura Spheres at the legendary ice bird. Articuno responded with Ice Beam, causing ice to hit various parts of the courtyard and mansion. 

“Mewtwo, you know why I am here. I require the Champion!” 

Mewtwo paused, then his eyes widened as Incineroar walked up, along with Charizard. The three pokemon entered battle positions.

“We won’t let you take him.” growled Charizard as he punched a fist into the palm of his clawed hand. 

Mewtwo rose into the air and prepared to use Psystrike. “Link will remain under our protection.”

Articuno did a loop in the air and stopped before the three Pokemon. “Kree! You know what power the Hero possesses, Mewtwo, you know this!”

Charizard and Incineroar moved their gazes to Mewtwo, who looked up at the bird for a moment, then stopped floating in the air and landed in the grass. “Yes. I know that he was chosen by Dialga. Though I do not know why.” 

Charizard flapped his wings. “Link was chosen by Dialga?! When did this happen?!”

Mewtwo turned to look at the mansion. “Last night, Lucario informed me that Link can use Aura Sphere, even though there is no possible way that he can use it. Perhaps Link was chosen by Dialga for this exact reason. And combined with the strength he possesses… If Team Rocket was to capture him… No, I cannot think of the unknown.”

Articuno hit the grass as well and folded her wings. “Yes, that is why he must not go with you. I will take him, train the Golduck. I realize that his transformation is not permanent, but perhaps him knowing Aura Sphere is.” 

Lucario returned to the group, along with Greninja and Pikachu. “What’s this about Aura Sphere?”

Mewtwo turned to face him. “Link knows Aura Sphere, right?”

Lucario nodded. “Yes. I suspect it is from him being attuned to Sheikah technology, though I am uncertain. I overheard part of the conversation. Do you really think Link will be safer with you than us?”

Articuno nodded and opened her wings. “I do. Let me speak to him. He can decide for himself.”

* * *

“So this blue sphere thing I can do is called Aura Sphere?” The Golduck was standing before Articuno and the others, looking at a blue glowing sphere he was tossing from one hand to the other. 

Articuno nodded. “Yes, child. Aura Sphere is an ability coveted by many Pokémon and humans, all want to possess it. Dialga has chosen you above all others besides Lucario to wield its power.”

“Okay. What’s so special about it?” Link threw the Aura Sphere into the air and caught it behind his back, then desummoned the glowing ball of energy. 

Mewtwo approached him and placed a hand on his head. “Will you allow me to show you?”

“What are you doing?” Link eyed him with confusion and the psychic type said nothing, but merely closed his eyes and used Future Sight.

The Golduck collapsed as Mewtwo stopped floating and knelt beside him, hand still on the water type’s head. Articuno hovered over his shoulder, while the other Pokemon merely could stand there and wait. After several minutes, the Golduck stirred, pushed Mewtwo away, and sat up, looking confused. 

“Do you understand now?” Mewtwo eyed Link cautiously, knowing that his use of Future Sight might have not been the best option to use. 

The Golduck closed his eyes, then opened them, they were now glowing a bright blue and Grenija took a step back. “His eyes! They’re glowing!”

Lucario nodded. “He has tapped into the full power of Aura Sphere. Thank you Mewtwo.”

Articuno raised her wings, the shadows of them covering the group. “He needs training. I will take him with me to the Seafoam Islands. Lucario, will you join me in training him? When he turns, I believe his use of Aura Sphere will only grow stronger.”

Lucario looked up at the ice bird, gave a firm nod, then helped Link up and walked him over to the bird, who swept the two onto her back with her wings and then took to the skies. 

As the three flew away, Incidnroar looked at the remaining Pokemon and merely said, “We need to prepare.”, before he turned around and walked back towards the mansion. All the others could do was follow, unsure about what had just happened.


	4. Collab Chapter (very late, very sorry)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PhantomDave here, friends, fashionably late as usual, with a chapter that very conspicuously goes nowhere. Hope you have fun reading either way. Now, on with the show.

The caves at Seafoam Islands were never so calm. The tunnels, usually echoing with the roar of the churning ocean currents and cries of marine Pokémon, stood still and placid. Travelers new to keep well away when the currents settled, lest they run afoul of the legendary birds. All the better for a good training session. Lucario and Articuno kept vigil as the transformed Champion of Hyrule conjured the Aura once again.

Link stood at the center of a stone islet, surrounded by a dozen Primid sculptures fashioned from Articuno’s ice. He focused squarely on the one in front of him and loosed his Aura Sphere, and the azure bolt struck its mark squarely in its center, scattering frozen shards across the chamber.

“Again,” Articuno said.

Link’s gaze turned to the great bird. “Am I doing something wrong?” he wondered aloud.

“Quite the opposite. What you are attempting is considered impossible among our kind. Yet you still lack power. While you understand the fundamentals of the Aura Sphere, there are myriad nuances which you’ve yet to grasp. Only once you’ve discovered these can you truly call yourself a master.”

Link said nothing, but stared down at his webbed fingers. What nuances had he failed to grasp? As far as he could tell, the move was infallible; unerring accuracy and strength enough to shatter divine permafrost.

Lucario sighed. “You’re a Golduck,” he said, “There’s no other Golduck in the world that would even dream of trying to learn this technique. The fact that you got this far means it’s at least possible. No sense in giving up now.”

His encouragement was only met with further silence. The raid on the Rocket hideout was to begin tomorrow, and there were few fighters who understood the pressures of heroism more intimately than Link. He was used to high stakes and ticking clocks, but nothing had prepared him for being hamstrung like this.

“You may ruminate only once you have succeeded,” Articuno said sternly. “Your friends are in danger. Do you not wish to aid them in their hour of need?”

Reluctantly, the hero stood ready once again. “I’ll try something different. Maybe if I can just focus on the Aura itself instead of just trying to attack with it…”

“You’ll only slow yourself down,” Lucario said. “You’re overthinking this. All you need are your hands and your eyes. One informs, the other performs. The rest is just up to focus and willpower. That’s the Aura.”

“So how do I know when I get it right?”

“When it happens,” Articuno said. “Now, again.”

Link took a breath and closed his eyes. His hands clenched into fists and a deep blue flame crackled to life around them. Though dim at first, the flames became more intense as his focus deepened. Lucario watched intently, but kept quiet. One misstep at this stage would mean more time lost.

The flames expanded further, and Link’s eyes snapped open and burned with a brilliant light. With a shout, he thrust both of his hands forward. The orb rocketed forward and splintered another statue.

And it kept going. It sailed through the air, past his two instructors, and over the water before finally striking the wall behind them. The force of the impact was clear from the concave indent left in the section of wall it struck. Small in diameter, but deep.

Link looked to his teachers.

“Again,” Articuno said.

* * * * *

Link hadn’t made much progress in the few hours since Articuno deemed him ready to start work on moving targets. The purpose of the exercise was lost on Lucario; Aura Sphere couldn’t miss. If its target was swift enough, it might be able to evade at the last moment, but it would be a feat akin to ducking a bullet. And the “flying” ice statues she fashioned weren’t about to start doing that.

By the time night fell, Lucario was beginning to wonder if there was any point to this exercise. It wasn’t as if Link’s variant of Aura Sphere wasn’t useful, even if something was missing. They could raid Team Rocket’s fortress right then and be done with it.

Link, however, showed no interest in anything but his training. He rose to each of Articuno’s arbitrary challenges, met all of her conditions, and as soon as he cleared one trial, she would come up with a new one. It was difficult not to feel bad for the man; the expectations foisted upon him by his own world’s guardian deities were bad enough without all this. Leave it to Dialga add another layer of stress onto an already terminally-chosen hero.

Another blast, another statue destroyed. Summoning the Aura was now an effortless task, and Lucario was quite impressed at the speed Link achieved in using successive attacks. It wasn’t nearly as impressive as his natural human form, but it was leagues above what a run-of-the-mill Golduck was capable of.

Still, the Aura was a very physical power. And Link’s stamina had been severely affected by his transformation. The champion stood hunched over, desperately trying to catch his breath. Lucario had been wondering how long he could have kept his momentum.

Link looked up and tried to speak through labored breaths. “How…about now?” he gasped. “Any better?”

“You are nearly there,” Articuno replied. “Yet there is one aspect of the Aura you’ve yet to master.”

Link’s shoulders sagged. The disappointment in the gesture was almost audible.

Articuno took a single step forward. “There is no great riddle here for you to solve,” she said. “There is a peculiarity to this power that you’ve doubtless encountered before. Perhaps during one of your countless bouts with our compatriot here?”

Lucario sighed. So that’s what she was talking about.

“I’ve fought Lucario a few times,” Link said. “What does that have to do with anything?”

“Better hurry and catch your breath,” cautioned Lucario. “This is the hands-on portion of the training.”

“We’re going to fight? Now?”

“You catch on quick.” Lucario began walking to the opposite side of the islet from Link. “The Aura draws strength from its wielder, and vice versa. The more determined you are to win a battle, the stronger you can make it. The stronger it makes you.”

“…You do seem to get more powerful the longer a match goes on.”

“That’s how a human might understand it. But you need to understand this power from a new perspective. Stand ready.”

* * * * *

Link never needed a weapon to train. He’d always had a knack for the rote, especially when called upon to surmount a challenge or solve some forgotten riddle. It was a special sort of insight that served him well on his adventures. After all, a sword could only solve so many of life’s more pressing problems.

Training was one thing. Fighting, on the other hand, was another thing entirely. For all his expertise with a blade, he was almost helpless without one. And now he was going to fight a match with Lucario.

It was just another challenge. One more puzzle to solve. He did his best to take a stance, standing square to his opponent and tightening his focus.

Lucario made the first move, and closed the gap with alarming speed. Link managed to evade the first blow, then the second, but the third kick struck square above his bill.

Link recoiled and took a step back. Whatever a Golduck’s merits, agility wasn’t one of them. For a mercy, it seemed Link could at least remember how to receive an attack. Even if it hurt a bit more than usual, he was still standing at the end of it.

Link took the offensive with a flurry of scratches. Lucario stood fast as he received each strike, not yielding an inch of ground.

Something within Link’s mind blinked to life, and he retreated once more. Lucario attempted to step into measure when Link forced the sensation outward. A burst of Aura struck his opponent in the chest and threw him back a short distance, where he landed roughly but safely at the center of the islet.

Link didn’t have time to process the discovery of his latent instinct. He made to press his advantage, but only remembered he didn’t have a bow a second after he reached for it. Something exploded against his chest and he flew back toward the edge of the makeshift arena. He managed to stick the landing and looked up to examine his foe. Lucario remained in the follow-through for the launch of an Aura Sphere. “Remember what you’re here for?” he said.

So much for the rote. Link gathered his wits and summoned forth the Aura, surprised at how strong it seemed to have become. Yet his concentration was shattered when Lucario’s leg slammed into his side, sending him into the corner.

“Too slow,” Lucario said. “Create an opening.”

Link tried calling upon that strange intuition again, but failed to find it. That was another thing he needed to practice. Instead, he started running along the edges of the arena, bringing forth what Aura he could in a short space of time and loosing them all toward Lucario. Yet for an attack which with infallible accuracy, Lucario made it look easy enough to dodge. He warped out of the way of each bolt and bridged the gulf between them in the same motion.

Desperate, Link fell back on his scratches, swiping furiously at the Pokémon opposite him. Yet his attacks were wild and unfocused, while Lucario’s were focused and disciplined. Each strike that connected was a fresh reminder of just how far out of his element Link was. This body and this style weren’t truly his. He was a stranger to himself.

No sword. Barely any hands. Abilities he couldn’t control.

And he could be stuck like this forever.

He took one more swipe that landed just below one of Lucario’s eyes. The shock of it forced him to retreat, and Link found his chance.

He summoned the Aura and gathered all he could at the center of his palms. His pain and desperation mixed to form the largest sphere he’d conjured yet. Without a moment’s thought, he launched the orb. Lucario could only watch as the Aura Sphere burst against his chest, sending him flying into a far wall.

Once Link’s consciousness crept back to wakefulness, he found himself standing alone at the center of the islet. His body was bruised, but his mind was more quiet than it had ever been. Lucario had just succeeded in standing back up. He supposed he must have won.

He met Articuno’s cold gaze.

“You are ready,” she said.

* * * * *

Red and Leaf tried their best to remain inconspicuous as they navigated the bustle of Celadon City. While not Kanto’s largest town, it was far and away the busiest, with shopping and cafes and entertainment lining every street. Going unnoticed through such a crowd, especially for two former League champions, had thus far proven a monumental undertaking, but they managed it somehow.

Fortunately, the two had been spared the transformation that everyone else at the Smash Mansion had suffered. That made things easier to plan: two trainers head into the Celadon Game Corner to wind down after a rough morning’s regimen. They avoid the gaze of the counter clerk, hit the switch behind the poster, and the game begins. Fire and Electric-types blitz the guards, Psychic-types direct from afar, and the rest split off according to type to sweep up what remains. Meanwhile Snake and Mario (with the benefit of their new shapes and sizes) would use the commotion as cover to find the cure and return with it.

Piece of cake. Team Rocket never learned anything.

Red and Leaf stood beside the door to the Game Corner and went over the plan in their heads one more time. Red looked back to the Quilava the two of them had taken out for some air – Cloud adamantly refused to get into a Pokéball for whatever reason, so they decided to make believe he was going for a walk. Leaf peeked inside her satchel and received a joyful thumbs-up from Pichu around her armful of inert Pokéballs. She quietly hoped all their friends were comfortable in there.

A quick nod to one another, and they were ready. Leaf pushed against the door, and the rush of noise and light came down on them all at once. Cheerful music, the ringing and chirping of the slot machines, and the snap of the nearby photo kiosk blended in a deafening cacophony that the two of them had long ago gotten used to. It was no different than the crowds at the League or at Smash tournaments.

They made a show of looking the machines over as they proceeded to the wall opposite the counter, where hung a large poster advertising an eight-year-old League challenge. Team Rocket really _hadn’t_ learned anything. Red lifted the poster and Leaf pressed the switch. As expected, the nearby wall opened to reveal a hidden stairwell.

So far, so good. Cloud took the lead while Red and Leaf followed close behind. As they all descended the first flight, the two young trainers couldn’t help but feel a twinge of nostalgia. Visiting this place again after what seemed like years wasn’t the most pleasant stroll down memory lane – Red could have gone the rest of his life without being reminded of the spinning tile maze – but they couldn’t leave the Mansion’s residents as they were.

At last, the three of them reached the bottom of the stairwell. They rounded the corner leading to the spacious office area.

And froze in shock as they stared down a dozen or so Rocket grunts barring their path, each one flanked by their partner Pokémon.

“Looks like you found our package,” one of them said.

“We were wondering who might have gotten their hands on that,” said another. “Guess that means you’re here for the antidote.”

“Think we didn’t learn anything from last time?” sneered a third. “We figured whoever found that package would come looking for the cure. Saw you coming a mile away.”

“And now,” said the first, “We get to have our revenge on the little twerps that ruined our plans.”

All at once, the Rockets advanced. Cloud braced and ignited the quills on his head. Red stood his ground, making ready for battle.

The ruse went exactly to plan. A broad smile spread across Leaf’s face as she opened her satchel. Right on cue, Pichu came bounding out of the bag, arms brimming with Pokéballs.

The Rockets paused, staring down at the little mouse in confusion.

“Pichu!” she cheered, and released the devices, letting them roll all over the floor. One after another, they all popped open, releasing the fighter within. Greninja and Incineroar appeared first. Mario materialized between the two of them, standing as heroic as a Shroomish possibly could. Zelda, as regal as ever as a Gardevoir, gracefully took her place in the ranks.

Captain Falcon spread wide the wings of a Braviary. Ryu lost none of his imposing presence as a Sawk. A Herdier laughed mockingly at the opposition as a Ducklett landed on its back. On and on until the office was filled to bursting with Pokémon.

Red called forth his Squirtle, and Leaf her Ivysaur. The battle was on.


	5. The Blast Zone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was brought to you by: An Preson Peepul

Roy felt strange.

He'd gotten used to the feeling since his arrival at Smash Mansion, but this... this was a different kind of strange.

"I can't tell what's up and what's down," he thought, suspended in the air. "Does this place even have... gravity, I think it's called?"

All around him, the void seemed to go on and on. Empty, just like his memories.

How he'd got here, he didn't recall. The past few hours... he was sure they were in his head. Somewhere.

Clutching his head, Roy tried to retrace his steps. "I remember... a car? I was in a car... was anyone else in the car?"

Roy paused to really think about it.

No. There wasn't.

He remembered Marth in the car, sitting next to him. But the last thing he remembered was sitting in an empty car.

"It must have been after everyone left the car," he thought.

Then paused. He looked around.

He hasn't said that out loud. He was sure he hadn't moved his mouth (fat lot that did for him. His memory hadn't been the best it could be), yet he could hear the words loud and clear.

He looked to his left and right. The nothingness stretched on forever, either way. He craned his head up. A black expanse stretched over the sky.

Then he looked down, and he found himself staring up at the manor.

Like he'd said, he'd been feeling strange. This just amplified that. It was very strange, seeing the manor's floor come up under you and its roof disappear in the distance. He felt nauseous just looking at it.

On one hand, he now had a sense of up and down. On the other hand, it was a very wrong sense of upside down. His stomach did a somersault, a cartwheel, and a triple backflip over his head before crashing down.

In other words, he felt like throwing up.

A frown crossed his face, as he clutched his stomach in an attempt to keep his food down. It all felt so wrong, seeing everything like this, where up could be down and your head went over your feet. He needed to get back up. There was only one thing he could think of to help.

With a grunt, he swung his legs forward. He'd hoped it would help right his quickly fading sense of balance.

He regretted the decision almost immediately.

The momentum spun him head-over-heels. With nothing to slow him down, no ground beneath him or walls to grab onto, with each flip he only got faster and faster until his sense of balance fled, leaving him all alone in the dark void to suffer as the world spun around him in a dizzying blur.

It was then that the graviton (or whatever it was called) decided to return, with all the poor timing of a friend asking for money in the middle of a funeral.

The brief flashes of the manor above grew smaller as he fell away. He tried to reach out for it, but at this point, he couldn't even tell where he was facing. Every time he tried to make sense of the world around him, it was ripped from his grasp, leaving him tumbling deeper into the darkness.

Then, a light. Something smacked against the back of Roy's left hand, like a red hot branding iron.

Roy reached out and grabbed onto it.

In an instant, the world screeched to a halt. Roy's bones rattled against each other, and his fingers attempted to slip away.

Roy held on tight through it all, and as his frame came to a gradual halt, Roy breathed a sigh of relief. He allowed his heart to slow. Once he'd calmed himself, he glanced over to his left.

"This was an empty void. What could there possibly be for me to grab onto?"

He hadn't expected to see a gold chain strung over his head.

Pulling himself up to get a closer look, Roy frowned. This had been an empty void, as far as he'd seen. What was this gold chain doing here?

Roy let his eyes follow the gold chain. Unlike the void, this chain was material. It had to have an end.

That didn't appear to be, though. At least, not here, since, like the void, this chain stretched on forever, thinning out into a glimmering trail, running on forever until it disappeared into the darkness. Just like he had.

"No." Roy shook his head. "I mustn't think like that. Surely the others must be worried sick about me!"

He'd gotten in here somehow. That meant there must be a way out, and right now, the only way to go was forward.

Roy swung his other arm forward. He reached out and grabbed further down the chain. It slipped his grasp, and Roy gasped as his arm swung out into the abyss. Stunned, he stared out into the void below, when a glint caught his eye.

A small trail of golden dust trickled down into the dark, fluttering and flickering, like embers rising up from the charred remains into the star-studded sky. Roy's eyes narrowed, and, pulling himself back up to the chain, he brushed his thumb against the links.

When a cloud of dust puffed out, Roy's eyes shut on instinct. Something light swept down his face, fleeting. Then it was gone, and Roy opened his eyes.

To his surprise, he found a shifting color beneath the gold, a spectrum of blue and purple. Or, he thought those were shifting colors, but upon closer inspection, those shifting colors solidified into moving shapes.

He could barely make out the shape of a man, pressed to one side of the link. And on the other side... he couldn't really tell. It seemed like another man, but all the pointy bits protruding from its body made Roy hesitant to call it such.

The second shape surged forward, and a voice cut through the void as it slashed down on the man. Roy's eyes widened in recognition, and as the thing turned around to lunge at another man, a single word escaped his lips.

"Marth."

The instant he said that, the scene almost shifted before him. The thing (Marth, it seemed) tumbled off the side, and a bird took its place.

"Falcon kick!" the bird cried, and just as a man rose out from the bottom, the bird dove at him, knocking him down once more.

A vague memory came back to Roy.

"I heard something about a raid somewhere. I never head the full thing. I was in the car while... Mewtwo, I think... while he said something about a raid. Did they go on with it without me?"

A twinge of sadness thrummed at his heart. His friends, had they forgotten about him?

No. They couldn't have. Especially not Marth. They wouldn't have forgotten him, not by themselves.

"So then, is it something to do with this place?" Roy thought. "Is it like the... whatever it's called in Corrin's world? Is it something else? What even is this place?"

"This is the Blast Zone," another voice said.

Roy froze. Then he drew his sword, and he pointed it into the darkness. "Show yourself!"

"To your right."

Roy looked over at the right. Draped over by the side, there was another gold chain, stretching into the distance. Roy did a take when he saw that; that hadn't been there a moment ago, had it?

The chain wasn't the most interesting part, though. The most interesting part was the woman hanging onto it, her bright, turquoise dress dangling off into the void below. With the unique dress she wore, shimmering like the stars, and her platinum blonde hair covering one of her eyes, Roy was sure she would be someone hard to forget.

"Who are you again?" was the first thing out of his mouth.

The woman sighed like she had been expecting this. "My name is Rosalina."

"Rosalina, huh?" Roy frowned, and he looked away.

"Where have I heard that name before?" his thoughts echoed in the void. "Rosalina. Rosalina. It sounds so familiar, yet why can I not ever recall hearing the name?"

"We've met before. At the last Smash Recall."

"We did?" Roy's voice betrayed his disbelief.

Rosalina gave another sigh. "Yes. Though I'm not surprised you don't remember."

"Why is that?"

"This place... it pushes you out of existence, so to speak. People on the surface won't even remember your name. Not that anyone would have remembered it anyway."

"They don't?" Roy looked away, a worried look crossing his face. "That sounds awful!"

"It is."

Something clicked in Roy. His head snapped back to Rosalina, and his eyes widened.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! It must have been awfully insensitive of me to say that."

"It's fine," Rosalina said, waving him away. "It's nothing I'm not used to."

At once, Roy felt a protective streak surge through him. "Well, you shouldn't be! We need to get out of here!"

"I wouldn't count on it. Maybe if you ever reached the end of the chain, you might be able to leave, but I've been climbing down this chain for fifteen months exactly. The fact that I've never gotten tired has occurred to me once or twice, but such oddities are commonplace with such a vast setting. I've not the highest hopes for ever reaching its end."

"Well, then maybe you're not going fast enough."

"Pardon?"

Roy let his eyes roam over the chain above him. Most of it still glowed, a faint orange rolling off the edges. There was still the one link, in the middle of it all, that the gold dust had brushed off of. It shifted between blue and purple, and as Roy watched the hypnotic dance of colors, an idea struck him.

"These chains are covered in gold dust," he said. "If we can exploit that, we could move a lot faster."

Rosalina tilted her head. Her face seemed to remain the same, almost in a resigned manner, but beneath it, Roy could see a spark of intrigue light up in her eyes.

"How so?" she asked.

"Just watch."

Without waiting for her to respond, Roy grasped the chain with his other hand. He swung his legs forward, just as he had done before. This time, though, he had something to anchor him, and as he moved forward down the chain, dust spilled off the chains and into the void below.

With all the dust between his fingers and the chains, he started to slide away. As he began to pick up speed, he turned back to Rosalina. Her brows were raised, and she seemed surprised by the whole thing.

"Hurry up!" His voice snapped her out, and as she shook her head, he called out, "We're going to find whatever's at the end of these chains, and we're going to get you out of here! Don't keep me waiting!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, it's me again! Remember me?
> 
> Short chapter here. I didn't have much of an idea of where to go with this without going completely overboard. I just set up a bunch of things for the other guys to go ham with.
> 
> If anyone wonders why I decided to break away from the main plot of the raid on Team Rocket's base, it's because up in the discord (which you can join if you want in on this collab), Phantom Dave mentioned that he completely forgot about Roy, the other guy who avoided being turned into a pokemon, so I just decided to do a chapter solely about Roy.
> 
> As for why Rosalina's there? Well, it's not like anyone ever talks about her in the actual metagame of Smash. I decided to throw her in because people really have forgotten about her. Frankly, I think she's very underrated. I once won a 2 on 1 with Rosalina against someone who was arguably better than me. Stop Rosalina abuse today!


	6. Smash collab chapter 6(?)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was started on April Fool's Day yet it is 100% real. TheChargingRhino here, closing out the Pokémon arc and starting a band competition. Because that's how I roll. And stuff. Enjoy. (I am sorry this took over a month to write)

The leader of Team Rocket, Giovanni, was literally backed into a corner, with most of the transformed Smashers seemingly ready to kill him.

"Turn us back!" Yelled a Shroomish as the rest said similar statements, then a Tyranitar pushed himself to the front and grabbed Giovanni by his shirt and pulled him close.

"Listen very, _very_ carefully. I consider myself a charge to everyone here, and you have made I and them very angry. I suggest you find some way to turn us back to normal, or else things will become unpleasant for you." The grip on Giovanni's shirt tightened as the man tried to stammer a response, only to have Dragmire throw him towards the others and not care where he landed.

While the others presumably were beating up Giovanni, judging by the various noises behind him, Ganondorf stepped up to something that said "transformation chamber" and the Tyranitar attempted to get the glass cylinder open, only to be stopped by Mewtwo.

"It is broken." The physic type tapped the glass and looked at his reflection for a moment before turning to Dragmire. "However, there is a way to power it."

"And what way would that be?"

Mewtwo smiled a rare smile. "Aura Sphere."

Then a distant boom caused dust to rain down from the ceiling and everyone in the room looked up for a second.

"What was that?" A Tyrunt, which, judging by the voice, was Yoshi, asked as he walked over to a nearby wall and tapped it once.

He got a response back, this was three taps, and Yoshi tapped back, this time with the following : tap tap-tap tap tap tap. A more elaborate tapping followed.

"Someone's on the other side of that wall." Fox and Falcon were standing together, along with Wolf and Toon Link, who were a Delphox, Corviknight, Midnight Lycanroc, and Scorbunny respectively.

Falco nodded and ruffled his feathers as he shot a glare at Giovanni, who was currently lying on the ground in the middle of the group. "Yeah. But who is it?"

The wall cracked, then seemed to crumble into dust as the source of the tapping was revealed - a Golduck and Lucario.

"Me." As the Hero of the Wild stepped over the remains of the wall, a blast of cold air entered the room as Articuno and Lucario followed.

The other transformed Smashers gathered around Link and started to ask rapid fire questions, but the Golduck held up his webbed hands and the room grew quiet. Wolf then spoke up. "Something happened to you, kid. You seem...What's the word…" The Lycanroc looked upwards for a second. "You seem to know what you're doing for once." He finally said with a grin and Link shook his head.

"Seems to be that way." The Golduck looked down for a second, then raised his gaze to his friends and smiled. "So...I...Guess I'm this powerful mage now or something." He shrugged and side-glanced at Lucario, who nodded and stepped forwards.

"Link has truly mastered Aura Sphere, no thanks to I and Articuno. I thought it would make sense to show you himself." The fighting type nodded at Link as he stepped forwards and he stopped for a second as the transformed Smashers parted before him, leaving a clear shot to the transformation chamber.

"Right...Here goes nothing." Link eyed the glass covered device before him, then closed his eyes, took a deep breath, held his feathered webbed hands out in front of him, and then tried to focus as he summoned Aura Sphere.

As the infamous blue ball of pure energy began to appear, those that had been skeptical of Link's newfound power had their doubts erased as the Smashers watched with great interest. Then, golden chains appeared around the Golduck and then vanished, revealing themselves to be Roy and Rosalina, unharmed and human. Still, the Smashers kept quiet so as to not disturb the Hero's concentration.

"What is he doing?" Whispered Cloud as the Quilava attempted to take a step towards Link, but was held back by Leaf, who merely held a finger to her mouth in a shushing motion. Cloud got the memo and watched in silence as Link began to somehow float in the air, a blue aura now surrounding him.

There was a strange tension in the air, one might have called it hope, one might have called it dread, one might have called it something else. But yet, Link seemed completely in his element as the Golduck opened his eyes, which appeared to be on fire, the aura surrounding him being reflected in his icy-blue gaze. Link then let forth the Sphere, and as he fell to the ground, having passed out from the effort, everyone watched as the ball of energy struck the glass, and it broke into a million pieces as the inner workings of the transformation device began to power on...

* * *

The leader of Team Rocket, Giovanni, was literally backed into a corner, with most of the transformed Smashers seemingly ready to kill him.

"Turn us back!" Yelled a Shroomish as the rest said similar statements, then a Tyranitar pushed himself to the front and grabbed Giovanni by his shirt and pulled him close.

"Listen very, _very_ carefully. I consider myself a charge to everyone here, and you have made I and them very angry. I suggest you find some way to turn us back to normal, or else things will become unpleasant for you." The grip on Giovanni's shirt tightened as the man tried to stammer a response, only to have Dragmire throw him towards the others and not care where he landed.

While the others presumably were beating up Giovanni, judging by the various noises behind him, Ganondorf stepped up to something that said "transformation chamber" and the Tyranitar attempted to get the glass cylinder open, only to be stopped by Mewtwo.

"It is broken." The physic type tapped the glass and looked at his reflection for a moment before turning to Dragmire. "However, there is a way to power it."

"And what way would that be?"

Mewtwo smiled a rare smile. "Aura Sphere."

Then a distant boom caused dust to rain down from the ceiling and everyone in the room looked up for a second.

"What was that?" A Tyrunt, which, judging by the voice, was Yoshi, asked as he walked over to a nearby wall and tapped it once.

He got a response back, this was three taps, and Yoshi tapped back, this time with the following : tap tap-tap tap tap tap. A more elaborate tapping followed.

"Someone's on the other side of that wall." Fox and Falcon were standing together, along with Wolf and Toon Link, who were a Delphox, Corviknight, Midnight Lycanroc, and Scorbunny respectively.

Falco nodded and ruffled his feathers as he shot a glare at Giovanni, who was currently lying on the ground in the middle of the group. "Yeah. But who is it?"

The wall cracked, then seemed to crumble into dust as the source of the tapping was revealed - a Golduck and Lucario.

"Me." As the Hero of the Wild stepped over the remains of the wall, a blast of cold air entered the room as Articuno and Lucario followed.

The other transformed Smashers gathered around Link and started to ask rapid fire questions, but the Golduck held up his webbed hands and the room grew quiet. Wolf then spoke up. "Something happened to you, kid. You seem...What's the word…" The Lycanroc looked upwards for a second. "You seem to know what you're doing for once." He finally said with a grin and Link shook his head.

"Seems to be that way." The Golduck looked down for a second, then raised his gaze to his friends and smiled. "So...I...Guess I'm this powerful mage now or something." He shrugged and side-glanced at Lucario, who nodded and stepped forwards.

"Link has truly mastered Aura Sphere, no thanks to I and Articuno. I thought it would make sense to show you himself." The fighting type nodded at Link as he stepped forwards and he stopped for a second as the transformed Smashers parted before him, leaving a clear shot to the transformation chamber.

"Right...Here goes nothing." Link eyed the glass covered device before him, then closed his eyes, took a deep breath, held his feathered webbed hands out in front of him, and then tried to focus as he summoned Aura Sphere.

As the infamous blue ball of pure energy began to appear, those that had been skeptical of Link's newfound power had their doubts erased as the Smashers watched with great interest. Then, golden chains appeared around the Golduck and then vanished, revealing themselves to be Roy and Rosalina, unharmed and human. Still, the Smashers kept quiet so as to not disturb the Hero's concentration.

"What is he doing?" Whispered Cloud as the Quilava attempted to take a step towards Link, but was held back by Leaf, who merely held a finger to her mouth in a shushing motion. Cloud got the memo and watched in silence as Link began to somehow float in the air, a blue aura now surrounding him.

There was a strange tension in the air, one might have called it hope, one might have called it dread, one might have called it something else. But yet, Link seemed completely in his element as the Golduck opened his eyes, which appeared to be on fire, the aura surrounding him being reflected in his icy-blue gaze. Link then let forth the Sphere, and as he fell to the ground, having passed out from the effort, everyone watched as the ball of energy struck the glass, and it broke into a million pieces as the inner workings of the transformation device began to power on...

The first thing he noticed that he was alive. The second thing he noticed was that he was lying on a bed, covered by various blankets and his head being supported by at least two pillows. Someone had decided to make him comfortable and he silently appreciated that they were looking out for him. The third thing he noticed was that he was back to normal; in other words, him using Aura Sphere had worked after all.

The Hero of the Wild's thoughts were interrupted by some sort of noise.

It sounded electrifying, powerful, heart racing, yet Link knew the sound of lute strings being plucked from anywhere.

He _had_ to know what that sound had been.

After Link got his bearings, he left his room and wandered down the hallway, searching for the source of the music, before he stopped before Cloud's room. The door was closed, yet the sound was coming from behind it.

The current Hero of Hyrule thought about just barging in, after all, maybe Could wouldn't hear him knocking, but he knocked on the door anyway.

Cloud's questioning voice came from behind the door and Link stated he was outside.

"Oh. You heard my playing, huh? Come in, I'll show you what I'm doing."

Link opened the door and stepped inside his friend's room to find Cloud sitting on a cloth covered stool, holding some sort of stringed instrument.

The Hylian crossed the room and walked up to Cloud, before he eyed the instrument curiously. "You don't suppose I could play this, do you?"

"Uh...I guess? Wait, wait, do you even know how to play?"

"I played the lute before...it all happened. Can't be that different."

"Now that I think about it, you're right. This isn't a lute though," Cloud got up from the stool, then pulled up a nearby chair and sat down opposite the Hylian as he handed Link the instrument. "It's an electric guitar. Same playing style though."

Link took the instrument, then seated himself on the stool and looked down at the modern lute, then, on a whim, positioned his fingers and played various chords. His eyes lit up and he looked down at the red colored string instrument.

"...This is it...This is what I was missing…"

"Missing what?"

To Cloud's complete surprise, Link grinned, then played an A power chord, then played an improv solo before he stopped. "Cloud, did you know I used to compose music?"

"...You...You did?!"

"Yes. Before the Calamity happened. There was always something missing, though." Link looked down at the instrument. "And _this_ is what they were missing. Some sort of power, some...drive, if you could call it that." The Hylian played a few more chords, then looked up. "Cloud, there's a song in Hyrule that everyone knows about, it's called _The Hero's Lament_. I'm going to play it for you, if you don't mind."

"No, go ahead. I think I've heard the name but I've never heard it performed before."

As Link continued to play, he forgot all about Cloud, and he didn't notice that a small crowd had gathered in the hallway, he simply played to his heart's content. And to the surprise of everyone watching him, he started to _sing_.

"I tell you now, of an ancient legend, one that spans centuries, the legend tells of three mortal souls who are bound for all of time.

"The holder of Wisdom is the young and fair Queen, who possesses great skill of magic, the holder of Courage is a hero and knight, who swears to protect all of Hyrule. But the evil all fear, is the holder of Power, one that was cursed by madness.

"These three souls caused bloodshed and misery, and I shall tell you why.

"The Demon King, the knight and his Queen, clashed in a great war of unending. They all sought the Golden Power, the Mark of the Gods.

"The hero's lament is one tried and true, a tale of sorrow and despair, yet not all is lost as long as I live, for I have a promise to keep.

"I am one of many who have spilt their blood for Hyrule, yet despite the hardships and trials, I succeeded where many have failed."

"The war has spanned all of time and many lives have been lost, yet I and many others have always answered the call.

"I must admit, I have suffered much, yet now all is good and well, for I helped save my homeland, and aided my Queen, and brought down the Demon King.

"And until my last dying breath, I shall serve my Queen and country, for when I took up the Master Sword, I realized my fate.

"There are some who call us martyrs, or maybe paladins, but the one thing, that we all know, is we are heroes of Hyrule."

Then he played a solo and those watching started cheering, if he noticed them, he didn't react. At the end of the solo, he flicked a switch and merely played acoustic.

"The hero's lament is one tried and true, a tale of sorrow and despair, yet not all is lost as long as I live, for I have a promise to keep.

"I promised her father to aid her, to help her save Hyrule, and I have done that and so much more, in the time that I have lived.

"There are some who call us martyrs, or maybe paladins, but the one thing, that we all know, is we are heroes of Hyrule."

Link stopped singing, then merely played the closing notes, then stopped and looked down at the modern lute before he heard people clapping and he looked up to see the crowd in the doorway.

The Hylian heard Mac's voice and the crowd parted for the underage boxer as he stepped into the room and walked up to Link.

"Dude. That was you!?"

"Yes."

"That was awesome! Okay, okay, we need to become a band. You, me, and Cloud."

"A...what? You mean like a bard group, Mac?"

"No. A band." The tanned 17-year old boxer pointed to himself, then Cloud, then Link. "I play something, he plays something, you play something. And you've proven you can sing too."

"I...usually don't sing for people..."

"Well, now's your chance!"

Link lifted the guitar over his head and handed it back to Cloud before he got up from the stool. "Maybe. Do you have anything in mind about this?"

"A band competition. People join together in bands, play songs, and they get judged."

"That sounds fun. How does that work?"

Mac grinned. "Well, we're gonna have to plan it all out, but I've got an idea."

* * *

Rumblings of a band competition soon spread throughout the mansion and flyers began to appear in various locations. They didn't say much, except for that auditions would be taking place a week from then, all day, in the autotoruim. Auditions would run for a week, and those chosen would be given a lineup of the competition. From there, all involved would have one month to practice and rehearse.

Two days after Link had shown off his musical prowess, he returned to his room in the mansion after sparring with Ike and Pit to find his lute on his bed, yet it had been tampered with. In a good way. It could be both electric and acoustic with the flick of a switch and had basically been turned into a modern guitar, with pickups, amp plugins, the works.

If anyone listened hard enough, they would hear the faint sound of music if they were on the ground floor, in the left wing.

A day later, word spread that a band named _Wings Torn Asunder_ would be the last act of the competition, yet no one knew who comprised the band...


End file.
